Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-11-18
The chii1ag, Nu'is'1's'
FOUR EXECUTED, ONE COMMITS
SUICIDE, AND TWO SENTEN-
CES ARE COMMITTED

OF the seven men convicted at Chicago
of the murder of seven policemen and the
wounding of many citizens on May 4th.
1885, one. Louis Lingg, committed sui
eide in his cell last Thursday; the sentences
of iwo. Schwab and Fielden, were COM
muted to imprisonment for life, and the
remaining four, Albert Parsons. August
Spies, George Enge and Rudolph Fischer
were executed IN the Jail on Friday last.
We make up from our exchanges the fol
lowing connected account Of the exc
cution.
SUICIDE OF LINGO THE BOMB MAKER.
Louis Lingg, the man who made the
bombs for the muTderers, had by some
means been furnished by his friends
during their visits to him in jail, with
dynamite cartridge. II was abou5 the size
of d lead pencil, was about an inch IN
length and in one end had fuse. On
Thursday morning about o'clock, while
the death watch was sitting at the door or
his cell, Llngg, who was lying on his cot
and had slipped the c. rJrldge Into bis
mouth, reached out and taking lighted
| caude off the table lighted the fuse, I'M
seen. In moment more the explosion
| Lingg presented a most horrible sight
| with the lower part of his jaw completely
| torn off and his thick auburn hair sill mat
| ted with blood. The cheeks were torn out
and hung down in Jagged pieces upon bis
| neck Teeth were Knocked out, gums torn
| away. and but small stump of the ton
que appeared protruding from the man.
| gled throat. Immediately under the lower
| part of the jawbone, a terrible gap had
| been torn out from the inside. Lingg was
| taken to the hospital of the Jail and died
| that evening. When the oJher condemned
| men were told of the suicide, Parsons said
81 wish had some dynamite myself; l
| would Kill myself only TOO quickly.' Spies
| said, Il expect ed nothing else," but En-
Z! gel and Fischer refused To say anything.
| THE LAST NIGHT OF THE CONDEMNED
MEN.
The hours passed slowly i'll the county
| jail Thursday night, slowly to both
| watchers and watched. Spies did not aJ
| first find slumber, and was up until nearly
| O'Clock, and he fell asleep a few moments
| later. Before that. he chatted pleasantly
| with Deputy Sheriff Ruirk, smoked cigars
and engaged himself as we'll as he could
| He did not say much about anarchy, ex
cept that he believed the sacrifice the law
was about to make would help the cause
VT MS TIOGfef, SiSttI duu uioIuoio he
spoke feeliDgly, but he never once said 4
word about Nina Van Z tndt
Rev Dr. b lton called on Spies and OF
fered him spiritual consolation. The con
demned man turned an ICY stare on the
divine, and said: "Y GU can't pray for me
20 pray for somebody else who needs it.
1 81 DON'T NEED PRAYERS"
The deputy sheriff, who was with Par
| mir
dertook when he was relieved at l O'CLOCK
TO tell what the condemned man had said
but when he began to realize the enormity
| of the task he cut his narrative short BY
SAYING, "He was very cheerful and hope
full
Such was indeed the case. Parsons was
never in better humOr than be Was Thurs
day night. He seemed to forget entirely
that he would have to die within twelve
hours, so in crested did he become IN hi!
| own harangue to the death watch. Hi
talked about socialism, about anarchy, the
Haymarket t, and his wife and children. Ii
was not until he reached this last subiec
81 that he manifested any sorrow or regret
: and the more he talked about it the more
| sorrowtui he became. About ii O'CLOCK
Parsons went to sleep, and at 2 O'Clock ht
was sleeping as soandly as he ever did ii
his life
FISCHER WAS THE LEAST TALKATIVE
of the four condemned men, though ht
was as cheerful as any of them. For near
ly three hours he sat on the edge OF tht
cot in his cell pcffiug at cigar. He spoke
rarely to Schaumberg, the deputy sheriff
who was sitting III his doorway. Once
Scbaumberg said to him: Fischer, how
can YOU be cheerful when you know youl
fate is such short time removedP' How
can die?'' the anarchist asked, and hi
looked full at his questioner. Il will tel
vtu." be said, Il die willingly" in ths
first place, believe it will help the cause
| espoused the greater part OF my life, aud
which love better than life ltself-tha
of the laboring man. Besides this, my
conviction was unfair, upj ust and illegal }
At 1920 O'Clock Fischer lay down anC
five minutes later his breathing was Sc
heavy and regular that the watchers were
convinced that he was sound asleep.
ENaEL WAS CHEERFUL
and contented and at times even witty
Later at night, when the death watch Sal
On the threshold of his cell, scarcely eyel
removing his eyes from him, Engel be
came reminiscent. and some stories hs
told were not only interesting but decid'
edly sensational. Once he said: ~ gu
people think perhaps that l am afraid to
90 to the gallows Dlsabuse your minds
of that idea at once, for it is not true. Nc